Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

With a belly full of worries, Huang Dazhu quickly walked out of the alley of Beile Street and headed towards Lianhua Film Studio.

He was dressed in a slightly worn outfit and strode around, no longer showing the dejection of a homeless man, but instead exuding a certain air of authority.

Before long, we arrived at the gate of Lianhua Film Studio.

Inside the iron gate, Zhao Erzhu sat on a small stool, guarding the warehouse and also acting as the gatekeeper.

Seeing Huang Dazhu outside the iron gate, he stood up: "What are you doing here?"

"Brother, I'm looking for your Manager Chen. My name is Huang Dazhu. I used to... I used to lie down in front of your film studio. I was really lucky to get help from Manager Chen."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Erzhu's eyes lit up. He carefully examined Huang Dazhu and found him increasingly familiar.

After a moment of stunned silence, he slapped his thigh, a look of surprise on his face: "Oh! I remember now! You're that homeless man who always lay at the door, the one Manager Chen brought you steamed buns?!"

"It's me!" Huang Dazhu nodded hurriedly, a hint of embarrassment on his face. "Brother, long time no see. I'm different now... I have urgent business with Manager Chen, so please let me know."

"You're different now?" Zhao Erzhu looked him up and down, noticing that he was dressed neatly, though a bit old, but very clean. There was no trace of his former ragged, emaciated appearance. She was even more astonished. "You've changed so much! Okay, you wait here, I'll go inform them right away!"

As he spoke, Zhao Erzhu suddenly remembered something, and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

Since the fall of Nanjing, Chen Shan has become listless and silent all day long. He doesn't even have the energy to argue with him anymore. He was just looking for a chance to tease Chen Shan. Isn't this a good opportunity?

Instead of going to the office immediately, Zhao Erzhu turned and walked towards the prop room on the left side of the film studio, calling out as he went, "Chen Shan, Chen Shan, come out quickly, an old acquaintance is here!"

In the prop room, Chen Shan was sitting with an unfilled ledger on the table in front of him. He held a cigarette in his hand, staring blankly at the opposite wall, his face full of dejection and despondency.

The devastating news of Nanjing's fall weighed heavily on him, making it hard to breathe. He couldn't see the road ahead or figure out what the future held. His former sharp tongue had been replaced by deep fear.

Hearing Zhao Erzhu's shout, Chen Shan frowned impatiently and stood up listlessly: "What are you shouting for? What old acquaintance? I don't know him."

"You definitely know him, and I guarantee you'll be in for a surprise!" Zhao Erzhu laughed, grabbing his arm and forcibly pulling him downstairs. Pointing at Huang Dazhu, she said, "Look, who's this?"

Chen Shan looked up and his gaze fell on Huang Dazhu. He paused for a moment, then slowly frowned, his eyes filled with doubt, followed by a hint of wariness: "You are... that beggar?"

"I have important business with Manager Chen, please inform him, brother," Huang Dazhu said sincerely, unconcerned by Chen Shan's wariness.

Chen Shan had always been suspicious of Huang Dazhu, the beggar at the door, and even volunteered to keep an eye on him. His suspicions had not faded.

Therefore, he offered, "Wait a moment, I'll go find the manager."

After saying that, he took over the task that originally belonged to Zhao Erzhu and strode towards the right building.

Upon arriving at the office on the second floor, Chen Shan knocked on the door and reported, "Manager, it's important."

"Come in." Lin Rui put down his pen.

"Team leader, no, Manager Chen! There's a guy named Huang Dazhu at the entrance looking for you. He says he used to be a homeless man lying in front of our film studio, but he's changed a lot now. I think he's acting suspiciously, so be careful."

Upon hearing this, Lin Rui calmly replied, "Back then, I saw him fighting for his country but finding himself in dire straits, so I gave him a way out. He lived up to my expectations and carved out his own path. I'll talk about this later; let him come up first."

"Huh?" Chen Shan was surprised, but didn't say anything more. Instead, he went downstairs and brought Huang Dazhu up.

"You go ahead, I need to talk to Chief Huang," Lin Rui said.

Chen Shan went out, closed the door, but pressed his ear against the door to eavesdrop.

Lin Rui could see his behavior through his supernatural abilities, so he took a cup of cold tea, walked to the door, opened the door, and poured it outside.

The tea spilled right onto Chen Shan's face.

"Oh dear, what are you doing outside? Let me get you a towel to dry yourself off," Lin Rui said, feigning surprise.

"Manager, I'm fine." Chen Shan, ignoring the tea on his clothes, awkwardly went downstairs.

Lin Rui closed the door, making sure no one was eavesdropping outside, before asking seriously, "What happened?"

"Boss, I'm here to talk to you about Miss Manli. Didn't you say you wanted to find an opportunity to get close to her? Today she came to our gang on her own initiative."

"Tell me the specifics."

Huang Dazhu recounted the events that had occurred not long ago.

"Miss Manli came to see me today and told me that Mr. Li, relying on the power of the Japanese, became some kind of cultural supervisor and investigated and shut down all the theaters where she had acted or was about to act, forcing her to stop performing on stage. I felt quite aggrieved for her and wanted to help her, but I didn't know what to do, so I came to ask you for advice."

Lin Rui, seeing his anxious expression, was somewhat surprised and analyzed for him, "Dazhu, the situation now is different from before. After the fall of Nanjing, the landscape of the French Concession has completely changed."

"The Du family used to be a top power in the French Concession, but now, with the fall of Nanjing, Shanghai cannot be recovered in a short time. In order to protect the Du family's territory and manpower, Wan Heilin can only temporarily avoid confrontation and dare not rashly clash with a traitor like Young Master Li. Miss Manli is someone Wan Heilin promoted, and even Wan Heilin dares not offend Young Master Li, so what can your small Zhongyi Gang do?"

"Our Loyal and Righteous Gang can rid the people of this scourge and kill Young Master Li," Huang Dazhuzi replied.

Lin Rui continued his analysis: "In the current situation, the death of Young Master Li is of no use. Young Master Wang and Young Master Zhang can replace him at any time, and your Loyalty Gang will be driven to ruin because of this. The police in the foreign concessions won't let you go, Zhang Xiaolin's men will come to arrest you, and Wan Heilin won't dare to openly protect you. Outside the concessions, the Japanese will also target you. Do you think it's worth it?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Dazhu was very frustrated: "This is even more difficult than fighting a war. If I can't kill, what else can I do?"

"It's not that there's no way out," Lin Rui said, changing the subject.

"Have you forgotten what I told you before? The Loyalty Gang is just a small gang now, without any backing or power. In this chaotic world, it's impossible for them to gain a foothold, let alone help others. And in the French Concession, the only one who can be a backer for your Loyalty Gang is the Du Family. Only by borrowing the Du Family's coattails can you set sail for distant lands."

"Miss Manli is someone close to Wan Heilin. She took the initiative to approach you and has feelings for you, so this is your best opportunity. Whether you want to help her or want the Loyalty Gang to gain a foothold, you must spend more time with Miss Manli and build a closer relationship so that she is genuinely willing to help you and introduce you to Wan Heilin. Only by getting in touch with the Du family can the Loyalty Gang have a chance to rise, and only then will you truly have the ability to protect the people you want to protect."